Bollinger La Grande Année 2007 Investment

History

The Bollinger Champagne House has created prestigious Champagnes with character, distinguished by their elegance and complexity, since 1829. The story began with Athanase de Villermont, the youngest son of a noble family. He inherited an extensive estate from his family in the Aÿ region. He immediately foresaw the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne. Upon meeting Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German who left his country to learn about Champagne, and Paul Renaudin, a local man fascinated by the world of wine, the firm of Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded on 6th February 1829. Owning 164 hectares of vineyards of which 85% are Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines, Bollinger is one of the few champagne Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends.

In 1976, Bollinger Vintage became Grande Année; then, in 1997, "La" Grande Année. A name simple enough to illustrate its exceptional status: because only truly extraordinary years become vintage years at Bollinger. La Grande Année made its screen débuts two years later, in James Bond's Casino Royale. This vintage was entirely fermented in barrels and is produced from 13 crus: mainly Aÿ and Verzenay for the Pinot Noir and Avize, Chouilly and Mesnil-sur-Oger for the Chardonnay - 95% Grand Crus and 5% Premier Crus were used. At Bollinger, only very high quality harvests become vintage.

The 2007 Vintage

With the already legendary 2008 vintage taking the spotlight in Champagne, the 2007 vintage is at risk of being forgotten. Bollinger, however - and La Grande Année in particular - tend to excel in the years where other Champagnes are average and this 2007 release is no exception. Released just last month, Richard Juhlin of ChampagneClub.com has already lavished it with praise. Calling it “one of the three best champagnes from this vintage”, he has awarded it a 95/100 rating – an exceptional score for a Champagne so young.

Bollinger’s decision to skip the 2006 vintage may have confused some - it was generally considered a good, if not great, vintage – but not Juhlin. He comments: “For me that choice is however quite logical since the Bollinger house style is much better suited to austere vintages than for fruit bombs. Here we have a classic and perfectly balanced Bollinger with deep layers and beautiful crisp apple acidity.”

As mentioned, Bollinger manages to excel in average vintage years and with La Grande Année 2007 they have proven that the vintage can produce Champagnes of great character, breadth and drinkability. Further, Bollinger LGA presents great value on release. It’s lower rated peer, Cristal 2007 (94/100 by Juhlin) was trading at £585 per case of six on release – LGA 2007 is just £330 per case of six. Less than £60/bottle is great quality vs price value for any prestige cuvée; for one as highly regarded as Bollinger La Grande Année 2007, it is indubitable.

Market Value

Looking at past vintages of Bollinger La Grande Année that have some trading history, we can get an insight into how this prestige cuvée typically performs over a standard investment period. La Grande Année 1996 has experienced an 87.0% market price increase over the past 5-years. Despite receiving average ratings (93/100), it has risen in price from £1,050 to £1,964 per 12 x 75cl case since mid-2012.

Similarly, La Grande Année 2002 was released at £540 per 12 x 75cl case just under 6 years ago and is now trading at £900 per 12 x 75cl case; market value growth of 66.7%. Interestingly, whilst considered one of the best vintages in the history of Champagne, La Grande Année 2002 was only rated 94/100, less than what the 2007 has already been awarded.

The prestige Champagnes typically invested in experience a vintage premium and their value increases incrementally with age. As La Grande Année is typically one for drinking rather than storing, stocks rarely last long and older vintages are more difficult to re-taste and re-score. However, looking at the price-over-points ratio (a loose measure of value, calculated by dividing the price of a wine by its 20-point score) of past La Grande Année vintages, we can see that the 2007 offers great value for money due to it having the equal highest rating of the past six LGA vintages.

Bollinger La Grande Année POP scores by vintage

Vintage

Av. case price

AG & RJ Score

POP

1996

£1,630

93

125.4

2000

£594

93

45.7

2002

£890

94

63.6

2004

£600

95

40.0

2005

£550

90

55.0

2007

£660

95

44.0

There is no doubt that Bollinger La Grande Année 2007 is great for drinking, but could it also be great for investing? Early indications suggest it offers incredible value for money and its relative affordability compared to other prestige cuvées might render it more approachable for the first-time investor.

Richard Juhlin, ChampagneClub.com – 95/100 - “It might seem a bit surprising that Bollinger skipped the great vintage of 2006 for the more modest 2007. For me that choice is however quite logical since the Bollinger house style is much better suited to austere vintages than for fruit bombs. Here we have a classic and perfectly balanced Bollinger with deep layers and beautiful crisp apple acidity. Gorgeous balance between the dark and light as a perfect Ying and Yang marriage. Layers of dry cocoa, hazelnut fudge, dried apricots and juicy red apples dominate over a beautiful hint of forest aromas based on sous bois and mushrooms in the background. One of the three best champagnes from this vintage.”

Wine Valuation & Selling

Customers who purchase from The Finest Bubble and cellar with us will have access to independent valuation data from Liv-ex for Champagne held in their reserves through an online personal account. When you come to sell your Champagne, The Finest Bubble may make an offer to buy depending on market conditions, however you are not tied to selling through us. If you need us to assist in selling the champagne we can do this for a 4% charge. There are no costs for providing this valuation information.

Financial Risk

We have presented information that shows the historical case for Bollinger La Grande Année as an investment and any forward looking statements are forecasts and not guarantees. Since the value of any investment can go down as well as up we recommend you consult with an accredited financial expert before making investment decisions.

Our Help

We are able to help you with our opinion on what champagnes and which vintages we believe offer the right qualities to consider cellaring for 5-10 years and help with up to the minute market data showing valuations, trends and transaction quantity for every champagne. We are not able to offer financial advice or advice on investments.

Contact Us

To discuss this further please contact Nick or Chris 020 7359 1608 or email us via the contact page.